


Someone My Mother Would Be Proud Of

by ScorbusDeservesBetter (HerMeOwn)



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling, Harry Potter and the Cursed Child - Thorne & Rowling
Genre: Attempt at Humor, Coming Out, Coming of Age, Fluff and Angst, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-08-16
Updated: 2016-10-04
Packaged: 2018-08-09 05:39:22
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 13
Words: 18,553
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7788829
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/HerMeOwn/pseuds/ScorbusDeservesBetter
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Scorpius Malfoy and Albus Potter have had a weird start to their year--time-traveling, saving the world from Voldemort's progeny, and trying to reconnect with family sounds overwhelming enough to most teenagers--but it turns out Scorpius might have to deal with one more factor after everything that has happened--his relationship with his dead mother ('Am I growing up to be the kind of man my mum would be proud of?' is a question he asks himself often).<br/>Asking himself this question unearths a lot of things about himself he hadn't realized earlier, especially about the relationships he has with people.<br/>Well, one person in specific.<br/>Albus Severus Potter.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Backdrop

**Author's Note:**

> I have never written anything before so this is probs gonna suck, but I have this giant void for Scorbus that needs to be filled, and hence this attempt. I'M TRYING. That's what matters.

Scorpious was having a particularly rough summer.

His dad, the infamous Draco Malfoy, was being more distant and awkward as ever, ever since he came out to him.

Scorpious didn't particularly think that his dad would be disappointed or upset--he should be used to that by now, with what happened in his 1st year (befriending Harry Potter's son of all people!) and of course, his 4th (that whole episode, his dad hardly even acknowledged anymore. He did hug his son a lot more than usual though). 

This summer though, he decided he was going to be honest with himself. A lot more honest.

Whatever happened during that whole time-travelling episode only made him realize that he wasn't quite sure if he was becoming the man his mom would have been proud of; he knew his "test" so to say, was when an altering a part of the past made him popular all of a sudden--but he was cruel, and rude, and despite having a postion of what seemed like immense power, he knew he would never fit in there, not only because he wouldn't quite know what to do with all that attention, but also because he knew better than to be a pure-blood elitest asshole.

  
He also knew he did the right thing, by coming back and altering reality back to normalcy, where he knew his place in the world, where he liked his friends and family, where he may not have power, but he did have friends (A friend. But still) and where he felt like he truly belonged.

But it was a test that no one really knew he even appeared for. Not one person besides himself and Albus, and their families knew of what had happened. He felt like he had yet to prove himself to the world (but mostly to himself), that he is in fact a good person, and can be heroic too if given the chance. That he could be someone his mom would have been proud of.

He sometimes wished his mom was still alive for all this. Scorpius knew though, that it was his dad that wished so more than anyone else. He had loved her a lot, that much was evident. Draco Malfoy himself seemed more and more estranged from his own family; Luscious Malfoy and Draco limited their conversations to Christmas cards and birthday owls these days. Scorpius didn't particularly mind. Who's ever fond of their weird grandparents that still dream of a time when the wizarding world was "great"?

But this summer, Scorpius concluded, was probably the summer that his dad wished his mom was alive more than any other summer ever.

In an effort to be "Someone My Mom Would Be Proud Of," Scorpius decided he was going to be a lot more honest with himself.

He decided this because right after the time-traveling incident, he quickly realized how much he liked Albus.

He was really confused at first--why did he not like it when Delphina flirted with Albus? Was it because he was getting no attention from girls at all? Was it because he had liked Delphina too, and didn't realize it?  
He also quickly realized it was neither of those things, thanks to the Christmas hols that year.

Well, that's jumping the gun a bit, isn't it? Let's go back, shall we?

4th year, Christmas holidays, post time-traveling incident.

Scorpius and Albus had decided to spend their holidays at Hogwarts instead of heading back home; home just seemed like a strange place to be these days.

Scorpius was getting a decent amount of attention from the girls in his year, alright. There was that time when Polly bought him a butterbeer when they were at Hogsmeade. Scorpius was so surprised that he knocked the glass right over. He couldn't help it. He felt like he had been here before (which he had. Under different circumstances that he wasn't a fan of).

Albus roared with laughter and clapped his back. He turned towards Polly, who was giggling with her friends, threw her a giant grin and a thumbs-up.  
"Looks like you don't have to create another reality to get laid, Scorpius," Albus laughed. "Shut up, Albus," Scorpius shoved him. But he was happy! He couldn't quite believe what had just happened. Neither could the rest of his year, apparently because by the time Christmas was over, everyone seemed to know what had happened, and he was becoming quite the ladies' man. Apparently, when the most popular girl in your year buys you a butterbeer, you become the most desirable boy in the year by default. He wasn't quite sure what or how or even why Polly did what she did, and he didn't think he'd ever find out, because she almost immediately moved on to date some 7th year.

He suspected that the butterbeer was probably just some joke of some kind--but he wasn't complaining.

Did Scorpius like the attention he was getting? Yes. Did he, however, want to DATE any of the girls whose attention he was getting?   
Well.

The only person he was sure he wanted to date was Rose Granger-Weasley. She was pretty, smart, and he just seemed so love-struck when they met when he was eleven. He decided to use his newfound popularity to flirt with her, but it never seemed to work.

His friendship with Albus had gotten better, somehow. Nothing seemed to have changed, and yet everything seemed to have. Girls were becoming a topic of conversation that they were interested in, and they both discovered that they liked Quidditch after all, but they still were sneaking off to the kitchens late into the nights. Scorpius still did all of Albus' History of Magic homework, and Albus almost always made up for it by doing his Potions homework in turn. Things were exactly the same, but something was different.

Albus, they both discovered, was very awkward around girls that he really liked. Scorpius thought it was the funniest thing ever. Albus Potter, the boy who was brave enough in his 3rd year to tell McGonagall that he "couldn't care less about transfiguartion, thanks", right to her face, the boy brave enough to fight Delphina (Diggory? Riddle? Lestrange?) in order to save his father, could only manage a "Hi Willow, how are you today?" before turning tomato red.

Willow Dortea, a 4th year Ravenclaw, was surprised at first, but then was always very kind and smiled a lot when Albus was around. She may or may not have liked him, no one was sure. And let it be known, that this didn't bother Scorpius AT ALL. He in fact, HELPED Albus practice what he was going to say to her the next time they were to meet ("Ask her about Herbology! She likes it, I hear. And DO NOT ask her if she needs help with Potions or anything, I hear she's the best in our year... though maybe you should ask for help in History of Magic, instead?")

Then, one day, Albus burst into the dorm room, triumphant and wild-eyed, looking like he couldn't believe what had just happened. He had been out to get some snacks from the kitchens again, but he had resturned empty-handed.

Albus looked at Scorpius and said in one breath, "Willowaskedmeout!"  
"What?"  
"Willow! Willow asked me out!" Albus was practically screaming by now.  
"What! That's amazing!" Scorpius was laughing at his best friend's excitement, feeling really happy for him, until--  
"She told me that she thought I was pretty cool, and that we should hang out more, and that if I'd like to, I should meet with her at The Three Broomsticks on our next trip there! Can you believe it, Scorpius? A date! With a real girl!" He was dreamy-eyed now, his glee just spilling out of him; he thumped down on his bed and stared at the ceiling, still smiling like he had just won the lottery.

A pang.

Scorpius didn't quite know what to make of it. Here he was again, at a situation that he was in a few months ago, with Delphina.  
He most certainly didn't have feelings for Willow. She was great, she was cute and she was really smart too, but he knew what it meant to love someone and he didn't have those feelings for her.

Was it, then, because he wasn't getting that kind of attention from girls?  
Definitely not. Not after Polly bought him that fated Butterbeer.

But here was, feeling a little sad that his best fried was going on a date the following weekend. It made no sense! He should be happy! He wanted this, hadn't he? He of course wanted him to have a girlfriend or he wouldn't have helped him with all those pick-up lines--right?


	2. Diagon Alley

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> RECAP: Albus has just been asked out by his crush, Willow Dortea, and Scorpius wasn't sure if he was happy or not. And he certainly wasn't sure WHY he wasn't sure. If that makes any sense.

He didn't give his feelings any much thought that week, but during the weekend, he was alone at Diagon alley, Albus-less, wandering around when he decided he was going to pop in at Weasley's Wizard's Wheezes. He was not really fond of the store himself--it was far too crowded, and he wasn't a prankster as much as Albus was, but he did like Rose and she usually was there during these Hogsmaede trips.

Once he got there, though, he was surprised at how quiet it was. There was hardly anyone there, and he expected people to be spilling out of the store as usual. When he looked into the window, he saw the the store was empty, save for Rose, James Potter and Mr. Weasley himself. It was then that he noticed the "Closed" sign out front. Deciding he didn't want to interrupt, he was about to turn around and head on somewhere else when Mr. Weasley, spotting him, beckoned him inside.

Scorpius, feeling like he was intruding, opened the door a bit, and without stepping into the shop, said, "Hello Mr. Weasley, I was just going to pop in to... er, well, see if you had new thingamajigs in."

He mentally kicked himself for the 'thingamajigs' bit.

"But I see you're closed," he continued, "so... I'll just--"  
"Well, come on in then!" Mr. Weasley said, motioning him in. Rose rolled her eyes, and James seemed too fascinated with some new trinket WWW had advertised on a podium to care.  
Scorpius, not quite sure what to do next, had entered in, and instead of taking a seat near the counter like Rose and James had, decided to browse through the shelves. He had to find a way to leave in a few minutes. Maybe he'll buy something for Albus as a gift though.

"Malfoy, if you're here to speak to Rose, you can come here and take a seat. Right in front of me. Where I can see you," Mr. Weasley called out. "Oh stop it, dad!" cried out Rose, and suddenly Scorpius felt very, very out of place. What was he doing here? WHY did he think this was a good idea? He decided he was going to leave right then, when Mr. Weasley said, "Well, Scorpius I wasn't joking. You can take a seat here. I know you're not fond of these things as much as Albus is. So tell me, what can I do for you?" He seemed to be a little chubbier than he looked last time, Scorpius thought. But he had always seemed like a nice man and from what Albus had said, always carried around some candy in his pockets.

"Well... er, yeah, I am actually looking for something for Albus," he said.  
"Hmm. Well, as his uncle I've been instructed to tell him, and you, that you both have no business being here in your fourth year, and that you've caused enough trouble to last a lifetime, but," he winked, "as a friend and as a shop-keeper of this wonderful emporium, I can tell you that Albus seemed very fascinated by the new line of stink bombs we have in number twenty-four."

"Speaking of Albus, where is he?" asked James, who seemed to have lost interest in what Scorpius now saw were vintage Extendable Ears.  
"Well, he's on a date," Scorpius said. He immediately regretted it though because he was bombarded with questions.

"On a WHAT?"  
"With WHOM?"  
"Are you sure?"

"Yes, I'm sure! He's with Willow Dor--I don't know if this is something I should be telling you guys," he said.

"What? Of course it is! You should tell us, and me, especially, about everything he's ever done!" said James. "I'm running out of things to annoy him with," he said to Mr. Weasley as a way of explanation.

"Well, exactly! How else would we get the info we need in order to make Albus' life hell during the summer?" Mr. Weasley said, with fake outrage.

"Well, now I definitely will not tell you three anything," Scorpius said. "The stink bombs are in number twenty-four, you said?" he asked, and left the three to it.

He made his way to the right aisle and found the stink bombs ('Guaranteed stink for 36 hours!') and decided, as Albus' room-mate, that it probably was not a good idea, and settled for the Never-Ending Chewing Pellets ('Changing flavors that last 5 hours!'). Just as he was about to make it back, he could hear James say something to Mr. Weasley and Rose, and it sounded like he was not happy.

"I mean, I didn't think I'd feel bad that she's started dating people, but I can't help it," he was saying. Well, somehow, Albus could relate to that.

"Look, James," Ron said, "I can very confidently say that I've been exactly where you are, almost exactly at the same age too, if you'd believe it."  
"What? You mean with Aunt Hermoine?" James seemed very skeptical. "I don't think I'm in love, Uncle Weasley. She's just a friend that I've... well, we've been friends ever since second year! I don't think I've ever--I mean, I have dated other girls! Why would I do that if I had feelings for her?" his words were just a ramble now.  
Mr. Weasley folded his arms across his chest, a sly smile on his face. "Well, James. Why would you?"

James' face fell. He looked aghast. He didn't speak for a full 5 seconds. His face then scrunched up in pain, and he let it fall into his hands and said, very quietly, in almost a whisper: "I'm in love with her, aren't I?"

Scorpius felt like a whole other door had opened for him then. He instantly knew that this was the case with him too.

Mr. Weasley snorted, patted James and said, "It's going to be alright. Compliments help with the flirting. Just tell her that you like the way her hair looks once in a while." "Don't listen to dad, James, mum always said my dad couldn't bring himself to say anything till it was almost too late," Rose said. "Well, your mum is wrong, obviously! I married her, didn't I?" said Ron, indignantly.

Scorpius, still a little bit in a shock over what he just discovered about himself, walked to the counter, and set the chewing pellets down. "Oh, chewing pellets! They're a good choice too," Mr. Weasley commented. He bagged the goods and Scorpius paid for them and walked out without another word. He was too dazed.

Is that what's happening? He... he couldn't POSSIBLY be... no, it just didn't add up. That can't be right. They practically grew up together! And a BOY?  
Was that even possible? Well, Scorpius knew that was possible of course, but was that possible for HIM? He liked girls too, though! Was he just over-reacting? Was he just reading into the situation? Surely you can dislike your best friends going on a date, not out of jealousy or anything, but just out of... Oh I don't know, out of anything else but?

He was so dazed, he walked right into Amy Pena, a fourth year Hufflepuff. "Oh, I'm sorry about that," he mumbled.

And that was the start of a lot of reading up in the library, because that's what one does if you don't understand something: you read. You learn.

He read a lot that year. He learnt about things he didn't know about before--about how it's absolutely normal to like both girls and boys at the same time, and how there were many great wizards and witches throughout history that fell into this category. It was never about learning to accept himself. It was about learning to accept that maybe, just _maybe_  he did like Albus after all.

And more than just in a way that friends would like each other. He soon realized that Albus was the one true thought he had when he fought Dementors last year, and that he only ever wanted to be with him when his mother had died, and the more he thought about it, the more he realized that his feelings were true, and that he didn't know what the hell he wanted to do about it.

So he did what any other fifteen year old boy would. He completely shut himself off from the rest of the world.

Especially Albus. Esoecially him because the only thing Albus wanted to talk about was his new girlfriend and how amazing she was, and Scorpius hated it. He pushed him away further when Albus tried to ask him about Rose or tried to confront him in any way at all. Albus couldn't make head or tail out of this and considered writing to his mum, but thought better of it. It didn't stop him from complaining to Rose though, who, the first time she heard Albus complain, said that this all sounded too familiar and shot James a look.

Scorpius on the other hand, knew he was pushing away his only friend, but he couldn't help it--he was afraid. He was afraid of telling him anything. He didn't want to come out to him. To him, of all people, because he liked him too. Maybe if he had a crush on, oh I don't know, Tom Brown, this wouldn't be so hard. Finally, after exams were over for the year, and Scorpius still didn't seem like he was going to let Albus be a friend, Albus had decided that he had had enough.

He burst into the dorm room where Scorpius had been sitting on his bed, curled up near the bedpost, and bellowed, "SCORPIUS HYPERION MALFOY! WHAT DO YOU THINK YOU ARE DOING?" Scorpius, so surprised by the outburst, couldn't bring himself to say anything at all at first. And then, because he missed Albus so much it was crazy, he started to tell him everything. Well, not EVERYTHING.

He suddenly felt like a tap that would never close up.

"Albus, I'm gay. Well, not exactly gay, I mean I like girls too, but I do like boys as well, and I've been reading so much about it in the library, and it's a real thing, this thing exists, I'm not the only one! And people like me exist everywhere, not just here, they're there in the Muggle-world too! Bisexuals, they call them. I was just so scared you wouldn't want to talk to me anymore. Is that weird? I mean, of course it's weird, I would never have to worry about losing you... right? As a friend I mean?" he added. "Like you won't stop being friends with me, if I were... well, me?"

Albus wasn't quite sure what to say.

Scorpious wasn't quite sure what Albus was thinking.

He looked confused for a second, but then his face seemed to turn to stone.

He sighed heavily and sat down at the edge of the bed. He didn't say anything for a very long time, and then:

"Me too, Scorpius."


	3. Summer

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Really short chapter, because I've got a bigger chapter coming up.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> RECAP: Scorpius came out to Albus after 4th year exams, just before the summer hols; Albus reciprocates the same feelings.

And so, here he was spending the summer at his too-big house with his too-quiet dad, having told his father what he discovered over the year at Hogwarts.

When he was done telling him, he was afraid of what he might say, but Draco Malfoy said nothing.  
He just sighed, nodded and twiddled his thumbs a bit, before saying, "Alright, what do you want for dinner, then?"

Scorpius, unsure if his dad had quite understood, said, "Dad, I don't think you heard me. I like boys. As much as I like girls. I like both. Do you understand what that means?" "Scorpius, I understand perfectly. I'm just not sure what to say...your grandfather will not be pleased, that's for sure, but I doubt his opinion matters anymore. Y'know, it's at times like this I wish your mother were still here. She would know what to do. But me?" He just smiled sadly, feeling a little helpless.

"Dad," Scorpius started, annoyed. "Mum isn't here is she? I mean, I just want know if you're still okay with this. I want to know if _you'd_ still--well, I don't know. Accept me, I guess? I would just move out otherwise, just say the word--"  
"Scorpius, what are you on about?" Draco said, surprised. "Why would I not accept you? You're the only one I have left, Scorpius, and I know I hardly say it, but I do love you very much." And then, after a pause, "You're a good son, you know. You have your heart in the right place. And you're kind! Your mother and I always were, and always are, quite proud of you."

Scorpius was taken aback.

His father had never said these things to him, ever.  
Draco seemed surprised too. "Well. My father never told me these things, but I don't want to be the kind of man he was. I want to be the kind of man your mother had loved and married. So, yes. I don't care whom you decide to love, just promise me this: you will never hesitate in telling me things." Draco reached out to his son's hand. "You're... you're really special to me Scorpius, and I don't want to lose you. Ever."

Scorpius could empathize greatly with his father. Loneliness, he knew, could be stifling; like an ocean that could drown you.

And since he had decided he was going to be The Kind Of Man My Mother Would Be Proud Of, he decided that he was going to add one more thing to the list of things he needed to do in order to become such a man: taking care of his father. Write him letters, for example. Show concern. His father was trying, he knew.  
He decided he was going to try too.

He wondered how it was going with Albus.

They both had decided that they were going to come out over the summer, but he wasn't sure if Albus had done it yet. He decided to write to him.

Just as he sat down, he heard a flap near his bedroom windowsill, and there he saw Lynx, the family owl (named so, because when Scorpius was younger, all he wanted was lynx). He let him in, and poured him some water in the water container near his cage.

"Heya, there," said Scorpius, when he noticed that he had an envelope tied to his leg.

He immediately recognized Albus' writing.

 _"Hey Scorpius,_  
_So, I told them. They seemed very... well, they definitely took it better than Willow did. Mum and dad seem a bit surprised, but James for some reason, doesn't seem to get his head around it. Not that he's being rude or anything, he just seems to see me in a different light, now. Like I constantly have a hippogriff on my head or something._  
_Lily has taken it much better, though she now thinks I'd talk to her about cute boys or something, which sounds absolutely ridiculous._  
_But anyway, did you do it? If you have, and the reason why you haven't written back is because your dad thinks its weird or whatever, then you can come and stay at my place for the rest of the summer. For the rest of your time at Hogwarts, too if you'd like. I haven't asked mum, but I don't think she'll mind much. However, if you haven't told him AT ALL, then, well... I would say that you should just tell him and get it over with. It can't possibly be that bad, right? What's the worse that could happen?_  
_Hope to hear from you soon,_

_Albus P._

_P.S Asked mum if you could stay, she said yes. Didn't tell her your secret though. Do you think they'd freak out if they knew you were bi too?"_

Scorpius smiled. He really had missed Albus.

He took up his quill and some spare parchment and wrote:

 _"Hey Albus,_  
_Glad to see that your family took it well!_  
_James is just being James, I guess. But hey, you were right about Lily!_  
_I think I greatly underestimated my dad. He seemed to take it pretty well too. Can't help but think about what my mother would have said, though. She seems like someone who would have had the right answers."_

He paused, unsure.

Then deciding it's what any best friend would have done, he wrote,

 _"What do you mean your family took it better than Willow did? Is everything alright?_  
_Well, summer's almost over. I guess I'll see you at Platform 9 3/4 soon._  
_By the way, did you happen to tell any of your other family members? Like your uncle and aunt, perhaps? And maybe your cousins? Rose, in particular?_

_Scorpius_

_P.S I was kidding about the Rose bit. Or was I?"_

He sent off Lynx, after making sure he had enough food and water first. The distance wasn't much, but his family owl was getting old and he didn't want to strain his poor bones.

The next week, a week before they were to board the Hogwarts Express, Scorpius received a letter from Albus that had just one line:

_"Willow doesn't think Bi people can exist. She isn't my girlfriend anymore."_

Scorpius was surprised at first. He didn't think Willow would have outright broken up with Albus over this. I mean, wasn't Dumbledore gay, too? And so was Marjorie Havensoft! She was one of the best Aurors of her time. They were all extremely powerful and intelligent wizards and witches, and their liking (or disliking) for a particular gender didn't seem to make them any less capable as human beings, and yet, there were people like Willow.  
People who were good, surely, but also really ridiculously misinformed.

He felt annoyed for Albus--why would Willow do such a thing?! Albus was a great boyfriend! He'd get her treats from Hogsmeade and write her cheesy notes between classes!--but then he also felt really smug and pleased with himself so he folded up the parchment, stopped raging, and started packing up.


	4. Hogwarts Express

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> (I thought I wasn't going to finish this chapter tonight, but I did! So 2 chapters a day today!)  
> RECAP: Albus and Scorpius have successfully come out to their families. Scorpius decides to be a better son, and Albus broke up with Willow.

When he got to Platform 9 3/4 with his father and his trolley in tow, it didn't take him long to spot Albus and the rest of the Potters.

Harry and Ginny Potter were fussing over their children, a bit.

Harry was talking to Albus and James about something, but James seemed to be searching for someone (Scorpius suspected it was Lola Mendes, the girl he realized he was in love with last year. He wondered how that was going), and Ginny was adjusting Lily's cardigan.

Albus, spotting Scorpius, turned to his father and said something, following which both Harry and Albus walked toward the Malfoys.

Draco stood upright, as he always did, with his ponytail tight and without a strand out of place, a sharp contrast to his slouching son, who had messy hair that reminded Harry of himself when he was younger.   
Eyeing him, Harry said, "Well, hello Scorpius. And Draco."   
"Hello, Potter. I suppose you've been busy with the Ministry these days. I hear there's been an increase in activity since the time-turner was procured last year..."   
"Well, yes, there have been rumors. But I'm happy to say we will be releasing an announcement soon. About how all the time turners have been officially destroyed."   
Harry let out a small smile. Draco nodded, an understanding passing between them.   
"Thank you, Harry," he said, genuinely. Harry smiled, and they soon started to talk, albeit awkwardly, about other matters.

Scorpius and Albus, a little weirded out by the whole thing (since when were their parents on talking terms, exactly?), decided to head on inside the Hogwarts Express.

"So, how did your summer go overall? On a rating of one to ten?" asked Albus.

This was a little game they had invented over the years--they'd shout out a rating at the same time and the one with the lowest score (i.e, worst summer) would get a free treat, paid for by the other.

"Three!"   
"Negative infinity!"   
"How is that fair?!" exclaimed Albus, laughing.   
"It is, when the first thing your dad says when you come out to him is 'I wish your mum were still here'."   
"Well, but that doesn't beat mine in any way at all. Wanna hear how I came out?"

And then, not waiting at all, Albus continued.

"Well, I was forced to come out in the most embarrassing was possible. So let me set the scene shall I?"   
They were climbing into the Hogwarts Express, pulling their suitcases on board.   
"We were at Rose's place, Aunt Hermoine and Uncle Weasley had decided to host a summer afternoon lunch of sorts, and had called over everyone--Teddy, Uncle George and his family, Grandpa & Grandma Wealsey, EVERYONE. So everyone's sitting by the long picnic table, right? We have some butterbeer, and sorbets and sandwiches and pie, and my dad, right before we start eating, brings out this piece of mirror which he _claimed_  would make your face look different--a Muggle device, apparently, that makes you look fat or thin or whatever--and I've heard of these things, so I'm thinking, 'This is great, this will be fun!'"

They found a compartment to sit in, and pulled their luggage through.   
They could hear the Hogwarts Express whistle go off, so they quickly made their way outside for one final goodbye. 

After waving to his father, Scorpius said, "Right, so funny mirror, go on."

"Right! So he lets each of us take a turn, and I can't BELIEVE what I see--" Albus shot a look at Scorpius at this point and said, "I see, not my face, Scor, I see... a shirtless Paul Wizco."

Scorpius laughed.

"Paul Wizco? Like the lead singer from Wizco and the Broomsticks?" 

"Yes, the very same. And let me tell you, I thought it was the funniest thing ever. I mean, Paul Wizco! He does look good without a shirt on, for the record--Lily has a poster of him in her bedroom."   
"Right, so my dad asks Lily what she sees first, because she's the youngest, and she says, 'I'm holding the quidditch cup, I've won the tournament this year.' Now at THIS point I should have realized something was up, but no; I'm me, and I'm oblivious. So then my dad asks me what I see, and i say, 'I see Paul Wizco, shirtless.' Everyone stopped what they were doing to just stare at me. I still didn't quite get it; I just said, "What? Paul Wizco is a good looking guy!" My dad looks at me, concerned; Uncle Ron can't stop laughing and everyone else just seems stunned. It was only after James said that he saw Lola kissing him that I realized something wasn't right."

Scorpius was laughing his head off at this point. He knew what this mirror was--it was a miniature version of the famed Mirror of Erised, a mirror that shows you what you want the most. It was a kid's toy these days, easily replicated by most trinket stores, including Weasley's Wizard Wheezes, from where, Scorpius suspected, the piece was from.

"So then, after everything, with everyone still staring at me like I was freakin' Merlin himself, my dad sheepishly tells us that the mirror shows us what we desire most, and that he had done this whole exercise in the hopes that we'd pursue those things. So I essentially told everyone that my one true desire was shirtless Paul Wizco."

Scorpius and Albus laughed.

"So Scorpius, are you getting me the pepper imps or the every flavored jelly beans?" asked Albus, wiping away a tear.   
"Well, let's be honest, after last year's confrontation with the trolley lady, I don't think I even want to be here when she comes in," Scorpius said, darkly.

And right then, in walked Rose.

Her hair had grown out longer over the summer, Scorpius noticed.

"Ah hello you two," she said, walking into the compartment and closing the door behind her.   
"Don't we have stuff to talk about!" she said in a teasing tone, and sat next to Albus, expectantly.   
"Albus Potter, how do you feel after coming out to everyone over the summer in what can only be described as the most--"   
"Okay, Rose, I get it, yes, very funny," mumbled Albus, trying to shove her away. He seemed annoyed at her shenanigans, and Scorpius assumed it was because he must have been putting up with this for the whole summer.   
"Okay, okay! I'll stop," said Rose, still smiling. "So! Have you started prepping for your O.W.Ls yet?" she asked.

"O.W.Ls? We're not even at Hogwarts yet, Rose!" said Albus.

She looked at Scorpius, pointedly.   
"Well, no. Well, maybe? I mean, I did brush through the books last week...," he trailed.   
He was still trying to wrap his head around the fact that Rose was choosing to be seen with the two of them at all.

"So Rose, what brings you here?" asked Albus, as if reading Scorpius' mind. "What's wrong in paying a little visit to my cousin and his friend?" she asked, her noise pointed towards the sky.   
"Nothing," said Scorpius, far too quickly. "Nothing in the least."   
He shot Albus a look, and Albus rolled his eyes.

Why did Scorpius even bother with pursuing with Rose anymore, anyway? He grew out of his crush for her over the summer. In the course of being more honest with himself, he had concluded that he most definitely liked Albus more and that he was going to stop pursuing her, for both of their sake's.   
Kicking himself mentally, he told himself he wasn't going to say a thing more.

"Thank you, Scorpius," she said, pleased.   
And then she added, "You know Albus, Scorpius is a great guy!" and then to Scorpius, she immediately followed up with, "We should hang out more!"

"Wow," said Scorpius. "I mean, yeah, sure. I guess."

"Oh, I know!" she said, feigning a sudden realization. "Let's go and hang out at The Three Broomsticks at our next Hogsmeade trip!" she said, happily.

"Really, Rose?" asked Albus. "The Three Broomsticks, huh? Why not just make us go to the Ice Cream Parlor and call it a date?" he asked.

Rose, giggling, said, "Hey, that sounds good to me if that sounds good to you!"

"I don't really follow?" said Scorpius, confused.

Rose brushed it off, blatantly changing the topic.   
"So you figured what subjects you want to take next year? I'm thinking Potions, DADA and Ancient Runes, for sure. Maybe I'll take Transfiguration too. Do you think those would be good enough for an Auror?"

The train ride back to Hogwarts just went on that way.   
Rose talked about school, Albus tried to change the topic (and failed) several times by talking about ANYTHING else, and Scorpius just sat happily, glad to be a part of a conversation that didn't involve dead mothers and leftover dinners.

When they were nearly there, Rose was shooed away by Albus and Scorpius when they decided to change into their school robes.

"Okay, so explain to me what just happened," said Scorpius, motioning after Rose.

"Look, I think she just feels like she needs to be nicer after everything that happened last year... and over the summer. I mean, everyone is treating me a little different now. Dad seems like he always wants to talk about it, but he clearly doesn't know where to start, and James and Lily and literally everyone else keep hinting at how I--well, mum seems to be the only one who still treats me fine. She's being extra nice because of how everyone else is being extra weird."

"Well, hey at least you had an audience to come out to," said Scorpius.   
Albus snorted.

"Oh, yeah. I wanted to give you this earlier," Albus said.

He reached into his pocket and pulled out a small picture frame.   
In it was a picture of himself and Scorpius, from a year ago.   
They were at the Hogwarts grounds near the lake, laughing about something they couldn't remember.

Scorpius knew when this picture was taken--it was right after Christmas, when the grounds were still blanketed by a thick layer of snow, and the lake was frozen over. It was Hugo, then a first year, who had been fascinated with photography back then, who had taken it.

He instantly liked it.

"I got this for you for whenever you felt like you needed a friend," said Albus. "I know it can get a little lonely for you over the summer, so I was, well... I mean, I was hoping it might make it suck a little less."

Scorpius smiled.

"This is very kind of you, Albus. I really like it."

Scorpius instantly knew that this was a gift he was going to cherish forever.

Albus shot him a soft smile, pleased.

"You're very welcome."


	5. Hgsmeade

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> RECAP: Albus and Scorpius boarded the Hogwarts Express and exchanged summer 'coming out' stories (Albus accidentally told everyone he was bi without meaning to when he looked into an imitation Mirror of Erised); he also gets Scorpius a gift-a picture of them together, in case he felt like he needed a friend, and Albus wasn't around.
> 
> Author's Notes: Hi, so this is really short, but I wanted to get it up on AO3 because I'm really excited about the next chapter.

For the next couple of months at Hogwarts, Scorpius felt like every interaction he had with Albus was heightened--Albus would say something or do something that made Scorpius rethink every interaction he'd ever had with him over the years; Albus would pass him some Shepard's Pie during a meal without Scorpius asking him to, for example, and he'd felt really pleased; or Albus would tease him about how his hair looked particularly messy one morning, and all Scorpius would think about was how Albus had noticed it at all. He knew he was reading into it; this was stuff Albus would joke about with him regardless, and this was nothing new; but that never stopped him from harboring hopes that were sky-high.

Another thing that he noticed that was new this year besides his intense feelings, was the constant presence of Rose.   
She was everywhere. There were times he'd notice Albus and Rose whispering away about something, and when Scorpius would near them, they'd immediately stop, Rose shooting Scorpius a polite smile of sorts, and Albus pointedly ignoring any, and all eye contact.  
It didn't bother Scorpius much, though. Rose seemed like a great a person to hang out with--she always did her homework, and that was usually a relief because History of Magic was so bloody boring (they were learning about a particularly dry period of history this year, and even Scorpius failed to stay awake).

What _did_ annoy him though, was he never really seemed to have a lot of quality time with Albus anymore.

Which sounded ridiculous, he knew. They still spent a lot of time together, but Rose was constantly there, like a hawk. The only time Scorpius ever felt like he could maybe spend some quality time with him was when they were in the Slytherin common room or in their dorms. But then, Scorpius would suddenly feel Albus' presence magnified. He could sense every movement he made, and he felt like the room was too small for the both of them.  
For example, Scorpius would usually study in front of the fireplace, and Albus would join him then, sitting on the floor by his legs, with his own legs outstretched, trying to balance two books on his lap as he did some homework. Scorpius would stiffen up, hoping against hope that Albus wouldn't notice anything weird--like how Scorpius was no longer studying, and just staring at his book.

If all this wasn't making Scorpius seem weird enough, there was that trip they took to Hogsmeade that really sealed the deal.

The first trip of the year was always surrounded by a constant buzz--third years who were finally allowed to go would be just as psyched about it as the 7th years; shopping lists were made and dates were planned.

Rose sat by them (again) during lunch a couple of days before the trip.  
"Hellooo!" she sang. "Have you made plans for Hogsmaede yet?" she asked, setting her books beside her.

Albus and Scorpius looked at each other and shrugged. "Not really. The usual, I guess? The Three Broomsticks or Madame Rosemerta's, depending on what we're feeling like, and then a visit to the Wheezes. Unless you want to do something different?" asked Albus.  
"Well, I'm for up anything. What about you, Scorpius?"  
"I was thinking of getting some sweets from Honeydukes. Dad mentioned how he liked them once. I was thinking maybe I could send him some," he said.

There was a lot of back and forth between father and son lately. It was awkward at first, just one or two sentences about how school was going, but the amount of parchment he used with every letter seemed to be growing--he felt like he was finally getting to know his father under a different light, and he was really surprised. He was starting to respect him a lot more.

Albus stared at Scorpius, impressed. "Wow, you really are trying," he said. He had noticed the increasing letters, and he felt happy for him. A little proud, too.

"Great, let's do that then," said Rose, deciding for them. "I have a bunch of stuff I need to get done too, so the trip would be fruitful."

The morning of the trip started out pretty uneventfully--they got dressed, met up with Rose snd immediately set off to the little village.  
Albus, Scorpius noticed, looked a little pale.

"Albus?" Albus looked up at Scorpius, sharply. "Yeah?"  
"You okay? You look a bit ill."  
"Oh, I'm fine!" he said, trying to smile. "Just a bit... well, I mean, a little... under the weather."   
He said the last part like it was an after-thought, like he couldn't quite tell what the issue was so he settled on 'under the weather'. Scorpius nodded, accepting his answer.

"So where are we headed, boys? The Three Broomsticks?" asked Rose. Albus was flanked in the middle with Rose on his right and Scorpius on his left.  
"That sounds good to me. I'm thinking Butterbeer," said Scorpius.  
"Oooh, yes!" said Albus, in agreement.  
Once they got close enough to the bar, Rose stopped walking. "Oh crap. I was supposed to get something for a friend at Diagon Alley," she said.

"Oh, that's fine. We can go there first if you'd like," said Scropius, already turning around to go back.  
"No!" said Rose, a bit too quickly. "You should stay here. With Albus. What I mean, is that you and Albus should go ahead--I'll join the both of you in an hour or so," she said, eyeing Albus.

Albus breathed deeply. "Okay, yes." he said. "That sounds alright." He still seemed to look a bit sick, Scorpius saw.

"Are you sure you're okay?" he asked him, again.  
"Yes, Scor, I feel fine," he said, looking after Rose's receding figure a little darkly.

They headed towards the bar, Albus walking a little ahead to open the door for the both of them, and they chose a table that was cornered off, a table that Scorpius had loved since their first trip there because of how closed off it was.

As they sat down, Albus said, "What do you want to have from here, Scor? I was thinking a cherry syrup would do for me."  
"Oh, I'm going to stick to my butterbeer," he said.

There it was again, the feeling like the room was too small for the both of them.  
Albus had really nice green eyes, Scorpius noted. He always noticed them; they were green, like the sea.

Albus rubbed his neck. "Scor, you look nice today!" he said, looking down at the table.  
Scorpius was a bit taken aback.  
"Er... thanks, Albus," he said. He looked down at what he was wearing--it was literally the same shirt he had worn last night, except now he had a light jacket on.  
"This is literally the same shirt I wore last night," he said.

"Yeah, well," said Albus, squirming a bit. "It still does look nice on you..." he trailed, and stared furiously at the back of someone's head.  
"Albus, are you sure you're--"  
"Yes I am, Scor!" he said. Scorpius put up his hands in defense. "Look, if you want to go back to the castle, we can do that--"

"No! I like it here. Especially because Rose isn't here, GOD she would never stop reminding me about the damn O.W.Ls and what on _Earth_  are all these professors thinking anyway?! _Fifteen_  feet of parchment, hand-written for Potions, and another _twelve_  feet of parchment for Herbology! I don't even _like_  Herbology!" he burst forth.

Scorpius, a little surprised at the outburst at first, but then finally feeling like they were having a conversation as friends after what seemed like ages, chimed in.

"Yes! And to think Magical Creatures would mean so much legwork! What do they think we're made of?! They made us _walk_  five kilometers into the Forbidden Forest, good God, Albus, I can't believe the stuff we've been made to do!"  
"Ughhh," moaned Albus, letting his head fall into his hands.  
"And to add to all of that crap, Willow's been telling everyone I'm bi."

Scorpius sat up straignt.

"She _what_?"  
"Yeah. Bravo? Thomas Bravo from our year? He came up to me last week and told me he was gay. I was so confused--why would I care, right? And he said he knew I was not-so-straight myself, and then tells me that Willow's been telling all of Ravenclaw that Harry Potter's son is gay. I mean, if anything, I'm surprised they didn't assume it was James and not me--remember a couple of years ago? He wore Lola's pink skirt a whole week because he lost some stupid bet."  
Scorpius grinned at the memory.  
"That was his prime, for sure," he said.  
Albus laughed. He was starting to look a lot better now.

Scorpius realized that Albus had been putting a lot of pressure on himself. He probably was worried sick about the O.W.Ls and Thomas whoever-the-heck was not making things better.

"Wait a second. Why didn't you tell me this was happening sooner, Albus?" Scorpius exclaimed. "We are best friends, are we not?" he continued, in mock rage.

"Seriously though, why didn't you tell me?"  
"I don't know. I guess I just didn't want you to worry or something," he said.  
"That's nonsense! Albus, you know you can always tell me things, right? I'd worry more if you _didn't_ tell me things. I mean, I'm your BEST FRIEND, Albus!"  
"Yes, I know, Scor. I didn't mean to NOT tell you. It just sort of... never presented itself?" he tried.

Scorpius rolled his eyes. "Okay so exactly what are we doing to tackle this?" he asked, already a half-baked plan forming in his mind.  
"Nothing!" he said. "I don't want to do anything about it. I mean, I don't think everyone knows, but obviously those who do aren't really going out of their way to make my life miserable, so I just want to let it be."  
"Reasonable, I guess," said Scorpius, shrugging. There will be no strange explosions in the Ravenclaw common room tonight.

They ordered their drinks, ordered a second round even, and Rose still hadn't showed up. When they were done with those, Albus insisted on leaving a note with Madam Rosemerta in case she showed up later, and convinced Scorpius to get to the sweets shop.

Walking alone in the chilly autumn breeze with Albus made Scropius feel content. He felt warm, and it had nothing to do with the two butterbeers. He thought of holding his hand and wondered what would happen if he kissed him, but then quickly dropped both ideas, deciding that perhaps he did have too much to drink, afterall.

They would talk about trivial things once in a while, and all Scorpius wanted was mke those minutes last forever.  
When they got to the sweets shop, Scorpius decided to get his father some chocolate frogs, and Albus decided to get himself some Ice Mice.

It was starting to get dark, and when Rose still hadn't showed up, they started to get a little worried until Scorpius remembered Rose's trips to Weasley's Wizards Wheezes.  
"Ah, perfect," said Albus.  
They walked on over, and they found the shop as bustling with people as ever. Mr. Weasley, caught up with the rush, barely waved at the both of them before being dragged away to an aisle by a 3rd year.

Albus spotted Rose in a corner, and she seemed to be in the middle of a furious conversation with James. They both decided to leave them to it.  
Knowing Rose was fine, they left for the castle.

"So on a completely different note," said Albus, who was talking about the upcoming quidditch tournament (they always supported Gryffindor--Lily and Rose were Gryffies so of course their loyalties laid with them), "what would you say is your ultimate favourite colour?"

Scorpius almost stopped walking. "My favourite colour? Albus, what are we, five?" he joked. "Though, if you have been paying any attention at all, you'd know that I'm quite partial to green."

"Green? Really? I don't think I've ever seen you wear any green," said Albus, thinking. "Except for like, the school tie and stuff."

"Really?" said Scorpius, half smiling, "I feel like I'm seeing green all the time."


	6. Thomas Bravo

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> RECAP: Albus, Scorpius and Rose paid a visit to Hogsmeade, but Albus and Scorpius spent most of it just hanging out. Scorpius was probably a bit drunk at the end. But Albus was being a bit weird, so maybe he didn't notice.

"What do you mean you 'just hung out'"? asked Rose.

"I mean exactly that--we just hung out," repeated Albus.

Albus and Rose were in the library, and what that meant was Rose would suggest new ways in which Albus could flirt with Scorpius and Albus would keep rejecting every idea because it seemed "too girly".

Despite a lack of wanting for all this 'help', Albus had to admit, she was the only one who seemed to be taking this with such enthusiasm. Everyone else just seemed to nudge him or pat his shoulder sympathetically or give some rubbish advice about 'complimenting Scorpius' hair'; the only compliment you could ever give his shabby hair was how messy it looked (he tried that too, though--and, well, they weren't exactly dating).

When he told everyone at the picnic that what he saw in the mirror was Scorpius, his best friend (shirtless and... well, a bit more that shirtless but he left out that part), everyone initially were just really surprised. But they warmed up to the idea eventually, and all Uncle Ron would say was, "Tough luck, Harry!" and laugh. It was his way of accepting it, Albus knew, but he was really glad that his father never put his relationship with Draco Malfoy in the limelight (all his dad said was that your teenage years are full of new discoveries, and that if you were happy with what you discover, then no one can tell you otherwise).

"Honestly? I'm not surprised. He is _not_  going to just fall in love with you--you need to tell him it's a date before you take him out on one!" Rise whispered.  
"And how will I do that? Just walk up to him and say "Hey Scorpius, so you know how we've been best friends for 5 years? Well, I want to put all that at risk and ask you out"?" whispered back Albus, exasperated.

Rose groaned. "Look, Albus. Clearly what you're trying to do isn't working. Maybe you should try to keep dropping hints about dating and stuff like that, and then just ask him out?"  
"Yeah? Like what?" asked Albus.

Before Rose could say anything more, Thomas Bravo (5th year, Hufflepuff if you were wondering) popped up beside her. He was probably here before Albus and Rose got here, reckoned Albus--he could have sworn he kept wandering around their general area ever since they got here.

"Hey there, Albus," he said.

He had blond hair, and silvery-grey eyes. He was a good looking guy, a Chaser for his house.

"Hey!" said Albus, sitting back in his chair. "How's it going?"  
"Oh it's been great! Y'know, just the usual...," he trailed.  
"And...?" said Rose. She clearly wasn't having any of this.

"So, I've been meaning to tell you something for a while now," Bravo started. "I can never find you alone, somehow," he said, shooting a quick glance at Rose. Rose rolled her eyes.  
"Anyway, seeing as you're single now, I was thinking maybe we should hang out more..." he started.  
Rose, snapped, snorting, "Albus doesn't need to be single to hang out with you, you know."

"Well, yeah, I meant... well, maybe we should, like go out in a more... er..." he was turning bright red. He shoved his hands into his robes' pockets and stared at his shoes. "Y'know, like on a date?"

Albus almost immediately wanted to say no, that he wasn't really looking for anything, but then he stopped himself.

He had been trying to ask Scorpius out. Well, okay, not trying, but like... telling the universe and hoping something would work out, and nothing really had come out of it. He still wasn't sure if he wanted to pursue his romantic interest in his best friend, if he was being completely honest. It would be REALLY weird to start dating Scorpius! I mean, it's SCOR, his best friend Scor, the guy he shares a dorm room with, the guy whom he convinced to go back in time to try and change the world, the guy... he most definitely had feelings for.

But if he put himself out there, he would be risking what they already shared--that was the thing that was stopping Albus from doing anything at all.

Maybe he _should_  go out with this Thomas guy. He seemed sweet, and hey, at this point, why not, right?

"Maybe I will, Thomas," said Albus, slowly, to Rose's utter surprise. She had the decency to not say anything till Thomas, who didn't quite believe what he heard the first time Albus said it, had headed off, with a wide smile on his face.

" _What_  are you thinking, Albus Severus Potter?!" she bellowed, much to chagrin of the librarian.

"Are you serious right now, Albus?" she continued, "You're going to date Thomas Bravo? And _not_  Scorpius? Do you even realize what you just did?"

"Rose, you're being a bit dramatic. Of course I know what I did. Scorpius clearly doesn't see me as someone he can go out with! I mean, I'm his best friend, I would have known if he acted any differently around me. But he hasn't! And if I'm being completely honest, your constant presence has actually gotten in the way of us having a decent conversation this year!" he knew the last bit was harsh, but he didn't care.  
"Besides, don't you have a quidditch practice session or something?" he said.

Rose looked stunned. She didn't say anything; just took her books and walked away haughtily.

Whatever.

Albus knew what he was doing, okay? He knew what he was doing.


	7. No One Likes Thomas Bravo

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Aaah! Really late update, I know--but I wanted to write out most of the story before publishing anymore chapters in case I wanted to later change something. Well, here it is!
> 
> RECAP: Albus, knowing full-well about his feelings for Scorpius, had tried (with Rose's help) to ask Scorpius out--or at least hint at the possibility of them being a couple--which Scorpius being Scorpius, was oblivious to. Deciding that he didn't want or risk his friendship with Scorpius anyway, when Thomas Bravo asked Albus out, he said yes.

When Albus told Scorpius about the possibility of dating Thomas Bravo, he thought he was joking.

"Thomas Bravo?" he laughed.

"Well, I'm being serious, Scor! He asked me out," said Albus.  
"He did? When?"  
"Last night. When I was at the library with Rose."

"Okay, before we get into the Bravo part of it, can I just say how much time you've been spending with Rose lately?" asked Scorpius, unsure if his hurt feelings and jealously were stemming from Thomas or Rose. Besides, if _he_  were in the library with Albus when Thomas had asked him out, he would have punched Bravo is his pretty face right then, probably.  
Or probably not. He would have most definitely made a case for Albus to _NOT_ date him though.

"I didn't know you still fancied her," said Albus.  
"I don't! I mean, I used to, but I don't anymore. I think I just grew out of it, but _that's not the point_ , Albus! I didn't know you fancied Bravo at all," he said, indignant.  
"Well, I don't; but he asked me to go out with him, and seeing as how he seems like a nice bloke, I thought why not."

Scorpius couldn't believe what he was hearing.  
Seriously?  
That's all it took for Albus to say yes if someone asked him out?  
For MERLIN'S sake, HE could have done that! Just asked him out, and then followed it up with "Why not?"!

Scorpius though, had a feeling this whole thing with Thomas whatever-the-heck  would blow over quickly because Albus clearly didn't seem too keen.

But a couple of weeks later, Albus actually seemed like he was really happy (and perhaps, in love, even?) with Thomas (Tommy, now). He even let him call him 'Al'!

Scorpius felt like he was stuck in his own private hell.

His best friend was in love with someone else and seemed to spend most of his time with his new boyfriend, Rose had started to steer clear from the both of them again, and the damn O.W.Ls only seemed to be adding unwanted pressure.

Scorpius had to admit it though; Thomas Bravo was a good boyfriend. He knew all the right things to say, what to get Albus when they were at Hogsmeade and where to take him on their dates (the only ever time Scorpius accompanied them on a date, Thomas held Albus' hand and said, winking, "They looked cold." He bought him Pepper Imps from Honedukes and Firewhiskey from The Three Broomsticks and even visited Gladrags Wizardwear, insisting on getting him a scarf. Scorpius hated it. It was all he could do to stop making obnoxious retching noises).

Third-wheeling on dates was not an option after that, so one such trip to Hogsmeade, after writing to his father (happily leaving out the giant Albus problem), he decided to go to the Wheezes, and maybe get some Deafening Pelt Bombs (maybe he could use them the next time Thomas decided to eat lunch with them in the Great Hall, that arsehole).

He, not to his surprise, found Rose, flanked by a couple of her Gryffindor friends. Spotting him, it was Rose who made her way through the sea of people to say hi.

"How are you taking it, then?" she asked about the whole dating situation, looking a little concerned.  
"Splendidly," said Scorpius, sarcastically.  
He said it before he could stop himself, but didn't regret it. But now that this door was open, he started to let what seemed like _year's_  worth of resentment out (despite it having been just three weeks, tops).

"They're so disgusting, Rose!" he exclaimed. "All they want to do all day is tell each other how NICE they look, and hold HANDS. I mean, what the hell are the rest of us supposed to do about that?" he snapped.  
Rose raied her eyebrows.  
"Well, I'd think you'd be happy for him--he seems happy," she said.  
"Well, I don't."

Rose, despite herself, smiled knowingly.

"You know Scor, I should apologize. I was really pissed off at Albus about something but then I let that stop me from talking to you," she said.  
"Well, yes, it has been incredibly lonely these days," said Scorpius, gravely. "I don't really have many friends, if you've noticed."  
"But you're quite popular! I heard Gloria Sternbaum talk about you the other day--actually, I'm pretty sure she said she fancied you," she said, in a teasing tone.  
"Well, yeah, I don't really fancy her," Scorpius muttered. "Wait, who's Gloria Sternbaum?"  
"Gryffindor, 4th year?"  
"Never heard of her."  
"She's really pretty! You might be interested to know that she's really sweet and has a soft spot for lynxes. You like them, don't you?"  
Scorpius was surprised. "Yeah, I do. Who told you that?"  
"Albus mentioned it in passing once," she said, waving her hand, dismissively.  
"Well, I'm still not interested," he said.

Rose knew why. She knew why, and she needed to set things right, and by God, if this got in the way of her O.W.Ls she'll murder Albus.


	8. Chapter 8

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> RECAP: Scorpius HATES how perfect Bravo is as a boyfriend, and Rose finds out that maybe Albus' feelings towards his best friend were *not* going un-noticed like he thought.  
> She has a plan.

Rose, full of fresh determination, knew exactly what she was going to do.

The next time Rose spotted Albus, he was alone, and he was headed to the dorms after a study session in the library.

"Where's your trusty side-kick?" she asked.   
Albus sighed. "Would it kill you to just be happy for me?" he asked.   
"Yes," she said, without missing a beat.

Albus rolled his eyes, clearly annoyed.

"Albus, do you really like this Thomas guy?" she asked, point blank.   
"Wha--what? Yes... yes of course I do, what are you on about?" said Albus, taken aback.   
"Oh just asking. So what about Scorpius then? You completely over him?" she asked, crossing her arms and raising an eyebrow.   
"Jeez, Rose, why are you asking me all this?" asked Albus, running a hand through his hair. He looked a bit offended.

Rose didn't care.

"Well?"

Albus breathed deeply.   
"Yes. Yes, I am," he said, looking at the portrait behind Rose's head.   
"Right. So no one's told you that you've been dating fake-Scorpius yet?" she asked, raising her other eyebrow.

" _What?_  What the hell _are_ you talking about, Rose?!" he said, standing upright.

"You're not fooling anyone, Albus. Blond hair, pointed chin, whom am I describing?" she asked.

Albus looked confused.

"ALBUS. You are LITERALLY dating Thomas because he LOOKS like Scorpius a bit, don't lie to yourself."   
"Rose, shut up. I don't know what you're talking about. And if you insist on talking about what I do with my love life, I don't need your help," he said, furious.

Rose shrugged.   
"Whatever, Albus," she said, and walked away coolly.

She didn't have to convince him of anything--she merely had to plant the seed.

And it worked.

All Albus could see when he saw Thomas the next day were all the features that he seemed to share with Scorpius--Thomas had blond hair, not as pale as Scor's but it was blond; Thomas had light grey eyes, which were a tad lighter than Scorpius', but it was grey just the same; and, Albus realized despairingly, the both most definitely had a very similarly pointed chin (well, in all honesty, that was the only thing they had somewhat in common), and all Albus could see was Scorpius.

He wasn't sure how that made him feel.

He had obviously lied to Rose when he said he was over Scorpius, and spending less time with him and more time with Tom wasn't really helping him get over Scor like he had hoped.   
All he had done, he realized, was push Scorpius away, and lead Thomas on.   
He didn't really like Thomas, not in a very romantic way.   
Well, he liked holding hands, yes, and he definitely liked kissing him once in a while, and he was really thoughtful too, but if Albus had to choose... it would still be Scorpius without a doubt.   
And he hated himself for it.   
He was being a complete dickhead to Tom right now, and he didn't deserve it.

And how did Rose even know they looked so alike, anyway?! Merlin.

At the Great Hall the next morning, Albus sat next to Thomas, and tried to wave at Scorpius, whom these days, had taken to sitting away from the both of them; Scorpius was sitting with Rose, and they were talking about something.

Albus felt a pang of guilt when he saw them together.

He really missed Scorpius, and no doubt he felt the same too, right? I mean, Scor would definitely miss his best friend?

 

Scorpius on the other hand, had welcomed new company in the form of Rose, and decided that Albus was not the only person in Hogwarts, and that he should be able to build friendships with other folk.

So he started to hang out with Jay Finnigan, a fellow 5th year Slytherin, and his friend Dean Brown (5th year, Gryffindor).

It had gotten to a point where they hardly spoke to each other at all.

Christmas came and went, and during these times, Scorpius would wake up in his warm bed, and try to look over to Albus, whom on most days was out, presumably on another date with Thomas-effing-Bravo.

But one late January morning, Rose sat by Scorpius and asked, "Where do you think Albus is?"

"Where do _you_ think?" he said, rolling his eyes.

"Well, I don't know actually. He's certainly not been hanging out with Bravo..."   
"What do you mean? Of course he has, he's up every morning before I am; he must be with him right now," said Scorpius.   
"Well," said Rose, "If Albus is with Thomas, then why is Albus sitting by James at the Gryffindor table right now?"

Scorpius looked up, and she was right--there he was, flanked by Lily and James, having what seemed like a pretty casual conversation with his siblings.

He felt like the whole thing was so incredulous that he started to laugh, surprising himself.

Rose looked concerned.  

"Wow," he said, a cruel smile on his face, "he really doesn't want to spend time with us at all, does he? Like not even a little bit?"   
"Scor, what do you--"   
"I mean, come on--I understood it at first, okay? I totally got it when he wanted to spend all that time with Thomas--it sucked, but I understood. Because, yeah, you can get carried away when you like someone that much--but what does he think of himself? Does he think that we're no longer worthy of his company? Is that it?" he was so frustrated, and he could feel his eyes stinging. He was feeling hurt, and angry. Albus dating other people was hurtful enough, but being so obviously ignored like this?

"Scorpius, that's not what he--"   
"No, you know what, Rose? I no longer care. I simply no longer care."   
Rose pursed her lips and nodded. "Well, I don't blame you."

He sighed into his food, a slice of pie and lamb chops, having lost his appetite.


	9. The Break Up

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> RECAP: Rose had a plan--she executed the plan--it has worked (as we shall see now, in this chapter). Albus, for some weird reason, was spending his free time James and Lily now, and Scorpius decided that that was the biggest neon sign if ever--Albus clearly didn't want to be friends anymore. Right? That's why he still chose to spend time with his siblings, whom he otherwise ignored the moment he got on the Hogwarts Express, over him. Right? Right.
> 
> Author's note: THREE chapters in a ROW? Whaaaat. Next chapter will be coming in next week, or so!

By late January, around two weeks before Albus sat by Lily and James that day for lunch, Albus decided that he couldn't take it anymore.

A few weeks prior, Rose had very kindly told him that Thomas Bravo looked very much like Scorpius Malfoy, and he didn't quite now what to do with this information (despite, of course, the information being wrong).

Thomas was sweet, but he didn't quite get all the jokes Scorpius would have; Thomas was sweet and got him scarves and fancy writing equipement but Albus was more of a Stink Bombs kind of guy; and also, Thomas disapproved the idea of sneaking into kitchens for a midnight snack--not like that stopped Albus, but who says no to pumpkin pie at two in the morning?!

He missed Scorpius.

He missed rolling his eyes at him during Professor Binns' History of Magic class, snickering about fake predictions in Divination, strolling through Hogsmaede with his best friend, and above all, he missed Scorpius' comforting presence.

Albus didn't know if his thoughts were translating into the way he behaved with Thomas, but he decided that it was better to end the whole thing than pretend he was happy.  
He wasn't helping Thomas, he wasn't helping the state of his relationship with Scor, and he certainly wasn't helping himself.

It turned out, he chose a particularly rough day to do precisely that.

Clarence Whitman, the captain of the Hufflepuff team, insisted on practicing through the harsh January cold; and Thomas had subsequently taken a bludger to the head.

When Albus heard, he almost sighed with relief because it meant he didn't have to do the breaking up anymore. But on his way to meet Thomas in the hospital wing, he saw Scorpius playing chess with Jay Finnigan.

They were sitting by the fireside, and Scorpius had his face scrunched up in concentration. He gave out a small smile and commanded one of his pieces, which immediately destroyed one of Jay's pawns. He smiled, pleased, his eyes forming little crinkles on the sides and... Albus knew right then and there that if it wasn't now, then it was never.

He stormed to hospital wing, found Thomas just barely conscious with his head wrapped in bandages, and said, "Thomas, I want to break up."

Thomas, still woozy from his injury and the potion that Madame Pomfrey made him drink, could only manage to say, "Oh?"

"Yeah. I'm sorry about your head by the way, that looks nasty."  
"Yeah, it hurts--I'm sorry, did you say you wanted to _break-up_  with me?"

"...yeah. I'm sorry, Tom."  
"...but why? What did I do?'

Sensing the hurt in his voice, Albus shuffled his feet, feeling really uncomfortable.

"Honestly, Thomas? You were the perfect boyfriend. You were great. You were sweet, and thoughtful... and honestly, you wouldn't hurt a fly. You always say and do the right things--"  
"I'm just the wrong person," Thomas finished. He closed his eyes and breathed deeply.

Albus was taken aback. "I'm sorry, what?"

"Rose. Rose told me that I was not s'posed to being the one doing the dating... wait, that sounds weird, I mean she said I wasn't s'posed to be me."

"Rose?"  
"Yeah."  
"She told you, you were not supposed to be dating me?"  
"Yeah."

Albus felt bewildered.  
  
"When was this?"  
"Right about when we started. She stopped me after a quidditch session at the grounds and said 'You're the wrong guy.' That's all she said. But I had a feeling it was about you."

Albus stood, his mouth open, both annoyed and grateful for Rose's sharp temper.  
  
"So is that true, Albus? Am I supposed to be someone else?" Thomas asked, through slightly opened eyes. Albus wasn't even sure if Thomas knew what he was saying. But Albus nodded just the same, feeling a bit ashamed.

"Ah. Well, we had a good run."

Albus felt it then--just how mean he was being. Here was this boy who had cared for him for so long, and all Albus did in return was ruin everything. He seemed to be doing a lot of that these days--ruining things.

"I'm really sorry, Tom--"  
"It's fine," Thomas cut him off, looking like he took another bludger to the head. "If you'd now please let me have some privacy..."

Albus scurried away, not being able to bare a moment more.

And that's how Albus broke up with a boy who had taken a bludger to the head.

He wasn't entirely sure if _his_  mother would have been proud of him at that moment.


	10. The Common Room Incident

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Author's Note: I AM SORRY!! I was busy because I had a test to study for, and life just got in the way honestly, but good news: I have the entire story written out, and I'll be posting most of it this week.
> 
> RECAP: Albus broke up with Thomas Bravo because he realized that continuing to be in a relationship with someone who looked so *much* like his best friend (not really) was not a good thing. So Rose's plan sort of worked!

And so, two weeks later, he was feeling too embarrassed to sit with Rose and Scor again and he certainly couldn't sit by his ex, and so he resorted to sitting next to the only other people who wouldn't immediately try to ask him about his father and the war.

"Al, why do you insist on sitting with me?" asked James, exasperated.   
He was Head Boy now, and he had a ton to do being in his 7th year and all that, but somehow the only thing he managed to do was moan about Lola and how he needed to tell her everything before the year ended. "Who knows where I'm going to be after that?" he kept saying. He had made a bunch of half-baked plans with his Uncle Bill to visit Romania and train dragons.

"So what the hell are you waiting for, James? Jeez, just go and tell her," said Lily, over mouthfuls of lunch. She was gearing up for Quidditich season, and she knew they were the best team Hogwarts had ever seen.

"It's not that easy!" groaned James.

"What's not so easy?" Lola Mendez, the topic of discussion, said, as she sat by next to them. She had dark skin, and wore her hair in braids that day.

James stuttered. 

"He means training for quidditch," quipped Albus, and saw the relief on James' face.

Albus rolled his eyes.

I mean, she was right THERE. He could reach out over James and just touch her. James had a functioning mouth and at least half a brain, so honestly, he wasn't sure what was stopping James from just _telling_ her--  
He spotted Scorpius at the Slytherin table. He immediately stopped his train of thought. He could see the irony.

 -----------------

When he finally pulled himself up to talk to the both of them, it was already February.

There were only two things on everyone's minds right then: the fact that exams were only a couple of months away, and that Valentine's Day was around the corner.

Scorpius was sitting by the fireplace in the common room, curled up with a book about the impact wizards have had on the muggle world.

It was after midnight, and Albus, knowing that the common room was empty save for them, picked up the courage to try and speak to him.

He saw Scorpius' face lit up with the soft glow of the fireplace and swallowed.

"Hey," he whispered.   
Scorpius looked up, startled. He then, to Albus' dismay, narrowed his eyes and went back to reading his book.   
"Hey, Scor?" Albus tried again. But Scorpius didn't look up.   
"Look, I know you're pissed at me. You have all the right to be, honestly. I know I've not been a good friend lately..." he let his voice trail.

Scorpius looked up at him wearily.   
Albus, taking it as a good sign, continued, "I just... needed to deal with some stuff. I needed some time off, just to... well, re-calibrate everything. I know that it was not fair to you or Rose, but I'm hoping you can find it in you to forgive me."

Scorpius sighed, and slowly shut his book.   
He considered what he was going to say.   
"Albus... I'm sorry too."   
"So... you forgive me, then?" Albus asked, just the tiniest bit hopeful.   
"No, I...it's not enough," Scorpius said.   
He took his book, and went up to the boys' dorms.

Albus was heart-broken. He was sad, and he knew he deserved it, but he was starting to get angry too. He gad apologized, hadn't he? What did Scorpius want? He didn't think Scor would be this cold! If anything, given all the stuff Albus needed to sort out (break up with Thomas, figure out his feelings, study for O.W.Ls!!!) it was perfectly FINE for him to have done what he had!

He stared at the dying fire, and his anger dissolved into dejection. He slept by the fireside that night.

\-----------

Scorpius instantly regretted what he had told Albus the moment he walked away.

He had spent the whole of last week wondering what had happened to Thomas because Al was clearly not hanging out with him anymore, and when he found out that they broke up, despite Albus choosing to spend his free time with his siblings instead of with him, Scorpius still felt gleeful.

He couldn't stop smiling, and he was in such a good mood that he suspected Rose knew about his feelings, but he didn't care.   
And he told himself that Albus needed to spend time with James and Lily possibly because he just needed his family right then. He knew it was Albus who had done the breaking up (if it were Thomas, Scorpius would have punched him in the face), so he figured that maybe he just needed some time to figure stuff out.

He also told himself that _he_  would in fact, start a conversation with him when he could.

And yet, when Albus (green eyes and all) stood before him, and asked to be his friend again, all he could think was that it wasn't fair--it wasn't fair that Albus would actually want to spend time with his siblings and not him when it came to stuff that really bothered him.

It wasn't fair that he had to just wait, each time Albus decided to do something, for him to come back and want to be friends again.

And it certainly wasn't fair that every time he looked at him, his heart would leap and his stomach would summersault and Albus would see him as nothing but a friend.

But as he entered the dorms, Scorpius was kicking himself mentally, and spewing curses, and he decided that he will wait for Albus when he came into the dorms and tell him he was sorry.

An hour passed, and then two.   
He finally made himself downstairs and found Albus, curled up on the same chair he had been sitting on earlier, asleep. He looked cold.   
Scorpius ran back up and got him a blanket to keep him warm. He laid the blanket over him, and tried not to notice how perfect he looked. He loved this boy. With all his heart. He wasn't sure if that was worth much, but it was all he could offer. 

He immediately remembered his promise to himself: to be someone his mother would be proud of.

Which he definitely wasn't right now. He wasn't really sure if Albus would quite forgive him for what he said.


	11. Valentine's Day

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> RECAP: Albus tries to apologize for being so distant but Scorpius still thinks it's unfair that Albus gets to decide when and where they can be friends again, and that it simply wasn't doing him any good by going through with all this--but then instantly regrets it, because Albus is still his best friend, and can't be held accountable for his feelings.

Albus had spent the most of the next week avoiding Scorpius.

It was as impossible as trying to avoid anything pink or red that week--being Valentine's Week and all that--given that they had every class together.   
He still successfully did it though--he chose to always arrive either really early or really late to class, and always chose a seat far away from Scor, and continued to sit by James and Lily during meal times.

He could have sworn Scorpius had once tried to speak to him after Herbology, but he had quickly brushed that feeling off and walked the other way.

Meanwhile, Scorpius sulked and whinged about... well, everything.

"What is the _matter_   with you?" asked Rose. "Nothing! I just really hate all this fuss everyone's making about Valentine's this year," he snapped. Rose stared at him for a second and then face-palmed.

She was having a pretty annoying Valentine's Week too, given that her plan had not worked!   
Well, it worked with the whole breaking up thing, but what was Albus _thinking_ , sitting with James and Lily and not them?! Jeez. What must a girl do?!

That evening, on her way to the final practice session before the Quidditch season started, Albus caught up to her at the entrance of the Great Hall.

"Rose!" he said. "It's been a while." 

"Are you _joking_? ' _It's been a while_ '? That's what you settle on after being MIA for like, _months_?" she was about smack him with her broomstick, but Albus had quick reflexes, and moved away before she could any harm. 

"Well, yes--crappy line... I'm sorry, Rose," he sighed. "I'm terribly sorry, and I just miss you and Scor so much, and it really sucks not being friends like we used to." 

"You're the one to talk," she said, deciding to forgive him. 

Well, not entirely.

"But you've made new friends, clearly," she said. "Well, if you can call James and Lily that."   
"Oh... well, they're the only ones I felt like I could talk to... Rose, I tried to explain this to Scorpius last week--I tried to tell him what I'm about to tell you, and he didn't take it well at all, so I just... I'm sorry if it seems like a stupid excuse, alright?"

"Okaaayy?" she said, caught unaware as Scorpius had mentioned none of this to her.

"I... well, I just needed time to figure stuff out. I mean, after you pointed out that I wasn't obviously over Scor, I decided to break it off with Tom, but I just needed to switch off a bit. And I really didn't want to do that with Scor because he's technically part of the problem. Does that seem reasonable?"

Rose snorted. Well of course that seemed reasonable--but she knew that it was definitely not what Scorpius would have heard, that ignorant baboon.

"Well, all that sounds great and all, but you do realize how this translates to Scorpius right?" she asked. When Albus looked confused, she sighed, nearly hit herself in the face with her broomstick in a failed face-palm, and said, "Scorpius thinks you no longer want to be friends with us. He thinks we're not people you feel comfortable opening up to."

" _What?!_ Is that why he... oh... _oh..._ "

Rose just let him stand by with his own thoughts for a second, and then said, "Okay, I don't know how you're sorting that mess out, but I have quidditch."

She started to walk away, when Albus, behind her, asked, "Wait! So we're good?"   
"We're good, Al!" she said, without looking back.

She didn't think these two were going to be this annoying to deal with at the start of the year. HONESTLY, when would they stop being so oblivious?!

 

\--------------------------------------

 

On Valentine's Day, Hogwarts woke up to flying cherubs shooting arrows that turned to glitter in the corridors, and pink decorations in the Great Hall.

Professor Longbottom had grown pink wildflowers that were placed on the tables, and much to McGonagall's dismay, Peeves had started to throw the petals all over the school; people were finding petals in weird places; like in the ladies' second-floor bathroom, and in John Lenton's underwear (how had it gotten there, no one wanted to know).

Scorpius couldn't handle it--he didn't know what he hated more, the happy couples or the never-ending homework.   
He tried to _not_  think about Albus. He knew Albus had been avoiding him at all costs for the last week, and he meant to apologize, he really did, but he wasn't sure what he was going to say.

Albus on the other hand, tried not to think about Scorpius either. But it was becoming very hard, given that he spent most of his time with James these days, and James seemed more love-worn than he did.

On Valentine's Day, the Great Hall had a special serving of chocolates and macaroons, and nearly everyone seemed to have received something either in the mail or in person--flowers, greeting cards, a candy hamper--Scorpius even received a pocket watch from his father. Though the note it came with had no mention of Valentine's Day on it, he did mention something about his father laying flowers on his mother's grave.

Albus on the other hand, thought he was going to lose his mind.

Lily was being particularly fidgety that day, everything on his plate was too sweet, and James was no where to be found despite talking about Valentine's all of January.

Albus was actually starting to worry, because his older brother had become quieter and quieter as the day came closer; but he figured it was just the blues. Albus knew what that was like, alright.

So on this particular day, for no other reason than James and Lily being so weird of course, he decided to sit by his usual seat at the Slytherin table. It was only a few minutes later that he noticed Rose had sat by her own Gryffindor table for a change, and that Scorpius was sitting a seat away from him.

It was pretty uneventful at first; everyone were gushing over their gifts and cards, Albus sulked and sulked, and then--

One owl flew right over the Gryffindor table--nothing that should have been peculiar with all the extra mail--except this one had a red bow-tie (do bow ties for owls even exist?) and dropped gold confetti right over Lola Mendes.

She was--as were everyone else--taken by surprise.

And before the last piece of shiny confetti fell, in flew a singing bird, and another,and _another_ \--there were five singing birds in total, twittering and circling Lola who by this point, had everyone's attention.

Lola was clearly taken aback.

Just then, James ran into the Great Hall; he was panting; half-dressed.   
He had one shoe in his hand, his tie still undnone and his shirt was happily tucked out.

"I didnt--" he panted, "Did I miss it?"   
Then seeing the birds, "Oh, Merlin--" he bent over, trying to catch his breath.

Just then, an envelope dropped over Lola's head. She reached up and tried to open it, but it didn't budge at first, and then suddenly, the envelope snapped open.

James' voice boomed through the Great Hall.

"Lola Mendez, you are beautiful."

His voice seemed slurred, like he had been drinking (or was sleep deprived, but the former, Albus knew, was more accurate. James' summer after the 'reveal' so to say, was just drinking and planning, yelling and a little bit of crying. He had driven everyone mad).

"By now, if my plan has worked--and I expect it will!--Operation: Date Lola Mendes would be in full swing and I would have told you about how I've been in love with you since our third year. I mean, we _should_ have started dating since 4th year, when you said that I... well, anyway I blew it then, I doubt I should have blown it now."

James looked terrified. Swallowing, he said "It's a prank--" 

But he was cut off by his own voice: "In _case_ that didn't work, then I need you to know that this most definitely is NOT a prank. I've always known that the second-year you loved grand gestures, and I've been lucky that none of your twatty boyfriends knew that about you, so here is the grand gesture you've always wanted!"

James--the live one--shut his eyes and rubbed his face.

Slowly, softly, a version of an old muggle song that Albus knew his Uncle Ron had play at his wedding, started to play.

" _Wise men say._.."

The song played, James looked like he was going to die, everyone was staring at Lola.   
Lola stared at the envelope, her mouth slightly open. When the song finally stopped, there was utter silence.   
James looked up at her, expecting her to be angry, or shocked, or disgusted, or all three at once.

To his utter surprise, she looked up at him, and laughed.

"I can't believe you did this!" she said, still laughing.   
"Er..." James wasn't sure what her laughing meant. Was she laughing _at_ him? Was it a defense mechanism? Or was she... happy? "

I mean..." she was wiping tears now. "I don't know what this is supposed to mean," she said.

James just stood, paralyzed.   
And then, mustering what seemed like the last of his courage, he said, "What this means, Lola, is that I'm... well, that I quite fancy you. In a romantic way. And that I would like it if we were a couple."

Rose snorted. "Understatement of the decade..." she muttered, audibly.

James, shooting his cousin a disgruntled look, and seeing that Lola hadn't immediately said anything, continued, gesturing at everyone, "This is not at all how I planned to have done it... But I'm glad it's out there. I mean, I know that this means that we might be putting our friendship at risk or whatever, but honestly Lola, I don't care. I've loved you since we were thirteen, so I'd rather take that leap. And all I am asking is to take that leap with me."

Albus was surprised. He did not at ALL expect his brother to be so... articulate. Or so put-together. He must have been planning what he was going to say for a while... he glanced involuntarily over at Scorpius, who quickly looked away.

Lola looked up at James, and slowly smiled. "James... I... well, it would be absolutely stupid of me to not take that leap, wouldn't it?"

James beamed. "Wait... really?" he asked, shoving his hands in his pockets, feeling a bit embarrassed.

Lola laughed. "Yes! Really," she said.   
She did a little jog towards him and kissed him before he could.

The whole Hall erupted. There were cheers and 'awwws' all around, and Albus could have sworn McGonagall had let out a small smile too.

He was really happy it had worked out for the both of them, he truly was. It was a miracle that James even spoke up, actually!   
Rose was smiling from ear to ear too. When she caught Albus' eye, she raised her eyebrows, trying to send across a message.   
The message, of course, being, "This could be you!"

Albus heard the message loud and clear. Once the cheers died down a bit, and the couple had taken their seats, Rose made her way to the Slytherin table where they were seated.

She stood across the table, right between Scorpius and Albus whom only had an empty seat between them.

She reached out to a pink macaroon, and, winking, said, "Well, I guess it's just the two of you now."

Albus feigned confusion, and in the corner of his eye, he saw Scorpius choking on his pumpkin juice.   
"Excuse me?" Scorpius sputtered. "What _ever_ do you mean?!"

Rose scoffed. "I'm pretty sure the _both_  of you--"she turned to look at Albus now--"know exactly what I mean."

She took another macaroon, and walked away haughtily.

Scorpius could feel his face burning. What the _heck_  was Rose thinking? That she could just-- _lay out_ his  _feelings_  when Albus was _right there_?

"Just so you know, I have no idea," said Scorpius to Albus, obviously turning pink in the face.

It was the first time Scorpius was speaking to his best friend in almost a week after that fireplace incident.

Albus seemed too confused to care. He was making the same face he made in Potions, when he was trying to put two and two together.   
Scorpius almost laughed. It was a face he was so familiar with--how were they not speaking to each other?

"Albus, about that night..." Albus seemed to be coming out of a daze. "Yeah, sorry, what?"   
"About that night? When you apologized? I'm sorry I was such a dick. I didn't mean anything--I was just... well, I was angry," he said.   
Albus still had a strange, dazed look on his face. Seeming to snap out of it, he said,"Scor, I deserved it. I'm sorry that I pushed you--and Rose--away so much; I didn't mean to, I just needed to...well, anyway, I'm just glad we're talking again," he said, smiling.

Just as he was about to suggest they get a move on to class, Thomas Bravo made his way to the Slytherin table.

Much to Scorpius' delight, he still had a small-ish band-aid on his head where the bludger had hit him.   
"Albus, hey," he said, as he approached them.

Albus immediately turned cold.   
"What?" he snapped. Albus could feel Scorpius' body shift uncomfortably next to him. "Well... it's Valentine's Day," Bravo said, "and I had gotten you this as a present a few weeks ago. I just figured, well, it belongs to you, y'know? And that I couldn't hold on to it."   
He pulled out a scarf--it was blue and gold, with Albus' initials (A.S.P) stitched on to the edges.   
Albus couldn't have felt more shittier, at this point. Thomas was genuinely a good guy and all that, but what the hell was he doing, giving him this present in FRONT OF SCORPIUS, WHO MAY OR MAY NOT ACTUALLY ALSO HAVE FEELINGS FOR HIM? I mean, REALLY, he had the WHOLE of the last two weeks to give him the damn scarf (luxurious as it looked) and he had to choose NOW?

Scorpius, not being privy to any of Albus' thoughts, only saw Albus' face go from unwelcoming to surprise. And he now just seemed to have a blank expression on his face, and by God, if this meant he was considering getting back together with Tom--

"I-I got to go" Scorpius croaked, and stood up far too quickly. He shot a quick smile at Albus and said in a high-pitched voice, "I'll see you in class!"

He almost ran out of the hall.


	12. The Room

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Another chapter?!
> 
> RECAP: Just when you thought they had a slight chance of being together again, Thomas Bravo showed up. Well, at least James and Lola are a thing now.

Albus, unable to comprehend why on earth Thomas would do such a silly thing, almost reached out to Scorpius when he was about leave, and ask him to stay.

But Scorpius had practically run off. 

It was fine, he decided. He would deal with Scorpius later. 

He turned his attention to Thomas, who smirked after Scorpius.  
"Thomas, why would you do that?" asked Albus, starting to seethe.  
"Well, I mean, it _is_  your present," he said, rolling his eyes. He placed it over the table, and added, "Also, I just wanted to know what Scorpius would do."  
Albus was most definitely seething right now and was running through five different hexes that he could use, when Thomas said, "It _is_  him, isn't it?"  
Albus face-palmed.   
"YES, IT IS HIM, YOU IDIOT!" he yelled. A lot of eyes turned to look over at that them. Albus would have yelled more, but he needed to find Scorpius right now.  
  
"I'm going to talk to you when I'm not so pissed," he muttered to Bravo, and went the general direction Scorpius did.  
He went all the way up to the sixth floor landing, and he wasn't quite sure if he was headed the right way.  
"Aye, yerra a Potter!" said a voice. He turned around and saw a portrait of a drunk man, whom may have otherwise been well-dressed, but  who just looked like he needed a bath. "Well, I 'elped yer father in the war, y'know! Fought-hic-old Voldie with 'im, I did," he said.   
He looked supremely drunk, and was stumbling around the picture.  
"That's great," said Albus, disinterested. He sighed. He looked around once more, still unable to figure out where on Earth Scorpius might have gone.  
"If yer lookin fer that young Malfoy feller, he want a-that way," said the man, pointing upstairs.  
  
"Really?" Albus asked. "Thanks a lot," he said, meaning it.  
  
When he went up there, there was only one room on the entire floor. He had never been to this section of the castle, Albus noted. But he was never the one to shy away from discovering places, and he knew Scorpius sure as heck wasn't. Besides, it was just one room--if he didn't find Scorpius inside, he'd just move on to the next floor and ask other paintings, probably.

  
He walked up to the wooden door which had an elaborate snake's head for a handle--weird--and turned the knob.

 

\-------------------------------------

 

Scorpius really needed to clear his head.

First of all, why did he at ALL, think that Albus breaking up with Tom and wanting 'to be friends again' meant ANYTHING besides precisely that? He really shouldn't be holding Albus accountable for all the feelings he was having, right?  
He had absent-mindedley climbed up to the seventh floor (with all the moving staircases, really it had been only three). He couldn't spot any rooms, so he just started to pace back and forth, thinking about how he just needed to think, to figure out what he wanted--and he suddenly noticed a door that wasn't there before. Well, he was sure it wasn't there before; maybe he just missed it.

He opened the door, and the room that lay beyond looked exactly like the private study in his house that his father frequented when he just needed to get away from the world. There was a shelf full of books, and a plush armchair, as well as four cushions and a rug. And a fireplace, identical to the one at home! There was also a tall-looking something with a sheet over it, which was not-so-identical to... well, anything, really.  
  
He was actually a bit surprised at how much it resembled the study back home, but he had more important things to figure out right now.

He sat down on the armchair, and thought.

He can't hold Albus accountable for his feelings, that much was certain.  
However, he can't _stop_ his feelings, and spending time with Albus was really not helping those feelings in question. If anything, he felt like kissing him every time they shared anything _close_ to resembling a 'special moment'.  
  
And besides, what if Albus not only did  _not_ have those feelings for him, but also thought having those feelings would be weird in the first place?

But what is Scorpius didn't care...? Well, then he'd only be putting everything on his sleeve, and that was not something he was--

The door opened slowly, making Scorpous jump.  
Albus' face poked through the door, looking unsure of what he was going to see. Seeing Scorpius, Albus opened the door fully and walked into the room.   
"Scor! What is this place?" he asked, looking around.

Just as he said that, the door that he left opened behind him, shut close, all of its own.

Scorpius jumped out of the chair, and immediately tried to open it, turning the knob this way and that--but it didn't budge. He took out his wand, and tried all the spells he could think of, and there was still no budging. Albus pushed him aside, and tried to do the same, but the door remained locked.

For the first time since entering the room, Scorpius felt nervous. What was he thinking entering this room in the first place? This must be a trap! It must be some creature like a boggart, projecting comforting decor to trap people, and then--and then what?

He looked around, expecting something to shoot out of the corners of this fake-study. Anything was possible if Delphina was possible.

He saw Albus arm himself too. Albus looked around, and they both just stood with their backs to the door, for a full minute, but nothing happened.

"This must be a trap," said Scorpius, finally saying something.  
"Yeah, I thought so too... but nothing seems to be here," said Albus, slowly putting his wand back in to his robe.  
Scorpius wasn't convinved. He told Albus how this room looked almost exactly like his father's study back home.  
" _Almost_  like it?" asked Albus.  
"Yeah, that thing with the sheet over it--I have no clue what  that is."

Albus walked over to the thing. It must have been about 8 feet tall, and maybe about 4 feet wide.  
He walked over it, and shrugging at Scorpius, pulled the sheet off.

It was a mirror.


	13. The Mirror

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Final chapter! Thanks so much for all the comments! It really made my day+night and kept me going.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> In the words of DJ Khaled, "And another one!"
> 
> RECAP: Scorpius and Albus find themselves in a room that looks exactly like the study Draco Malfoy uses in the Malfoy Manor, and in front of a mirror no less.

Albus stood in front of the mirror, not quite sure what to make of it.

Scorpius walked over too, his wand out at first; he also then slowly put his wand away, also not sure what to make of it.

He looked at Albus and frowning, said, "It's just a mirror."

Albus pressed his lips together. He sighed.  
He then laughed, but it came out like a shriek.  
"It's not just any mirror, Scor," he said. "It's _the_  mirror."

Wait, could Scorpius see what he was seeing right now? No way, he would have freaked the heck out if he did.  
"What do you mean _'the mirror'_?" asked Scor, rolling his eyes and looking over it.

Then, he saw it. Right on top, were the words "The Mirror of Erised."  
Realization dawned on him.  
"Oh... Well, that's weird. I don't have one of these in my house, so why would this be here?" asked Scorpius, walking around to inspect it.

Albus was still looking at the mirror; he had a dazed look about him when he turned around to face Scorpius.

Albus had seem himself and Scorpius at Diagon Alley. They were laughing and holding hands and Scorpius had sneaked in a kiss.  
He sighed.

"Well who cares?" he asked, feeling as dejected as ever. "Nothing's tried to kill us."

Then, after a second, "What do you see, Scorpius?"

Scorpius shrugged.  
"Honestly, it just looks like a mirror to me," he said.  
"I mean, I see you and I standing in front of it--just like a normal mirror."

Just as Scorpius finished his sentence, he saw his reflection move. He didn't move, but his reflection did--his mirror-hand found mirror-Albus' hand and held it.  
And mirror-Albus smiled at him, and winked.

Scorpius gulped.  
Albus can't see what he was seeing right?

"Huh. That's weird," Albus said, shrugging.  
"What do you see? Paul Wizco again?" Scorpius teased.

Albus snorted. "Yeah, more or less..." he lets his voice trail.

He walked over the door again and tried to open it.  
Albus graoned. "I can't believe this sodding door won't open," he said, moving to sit down on some cushions.

Scorpius moved his eyes away from the mirror, deciding that he didn't really want to think about this anymore. He went over by the cushions too; and sat next to Albus. "We're missing Divination," he said, remembering.  
"Well, nothing important then," said Albus.

Albus was trying to wrap his head around the last few minutes. Specifically, Rose and her twirling and her winking. Honestly, this whole year had been a mess. And if he were being COMPLETELY honest, it was all his father's fault--if he didn't bring in that faux mirror, he would still be dating Thomas (well, probably not, that _prick_ ) and he would most certainly not be be stuck in a room with his best friend feeling so ruddy uncomfortable and restless.

He stood up and walked to the bookshelves behind him.

He opened up a book titled "Dark Magic for the Dark Ages."  
  
"All these books are blank," he said. He opened up another book and another, and all of them just had blank pages on the inside.

He turned to look over at Scorpius and found him standing right behind him--he almost knocked himself over.  
Scorpius was frowning. "Really?" he asked, and reached out to a book over Albus head. Putting the book back, he said, "Huh. Well, someone tried to replicate my father's study but couldn't get their hands on the actual books, I guess."

Scorpius walked back to where the cushions were and lied down.

Albus was trying not to look too flustered.

He got the fireplace going and sat on the arm chair.

They were not getting out of this place, so might as well make himself comfortable, right?

"So..." Scorpius started. He turned to his side to glance up at Albus. "James and Lola."  
Albus laughed. "Yeah. Didn't know that guy had it in him," he said.  
Scorpius smiled. "Yeah," he said, staring at ceiling. "Lola took it really well, though! I didn't know she had any feelings for James at all. Did you? I would have been surprised if someone I was that close with confessed their feelings for me that way. I'd have been really too surprised to say anything."

Albus shrugged nonchalantly.  
"Well, I don't know--I don't think falling in love with your best friend is a weird thing to do," he said.  
He was putting himself out there, even if Scorpius didn't know it. He felt vulnerable, because he knew anything that Scorpius said now would matter--a lot.

Scorpius stared at Albus for a second and then rolled his eyes.  
Looking away, he said, "I said I'd be surprised, not that I wouldn't like it."

Albus let out a small laugh, surprised. "What did you say?" he asked.

All the hints and the pushing that Rose had been doing over lunch came back to him. He figured, now or never, right? If he was going to put himself out there, he might as well go all the way and let Scorpius know exactly what he was thinking.

Scorpius, blinking, said, "I said I wouldn't find it weird."  
"That's _not_  what you said, Scor," Albus laughed. "Pretty sure you said you'd like it."  
"That's NOT what I said!" Scorpius said, looking a bit indignant.

And then, it happened. Something gave Albus that final push. He wasn't sure if it was all the sugary macaroons that finally got into his head, or Rose and her ridiculous plans, or if it was James and Lola finally getting together, or if it was just a tiny spark of hope that he'd always felt in his heart; whatever it was, it made him take a breath and move over to the cushions where Scorpius was laying down. He sat closer to Scorpius than he would ever had if he was thinking straight, which made Scorpius sit up too. Sitting close enough that he felt like he could drown in his grey eyes, Albus whispered, "I'm pretty sure you said you'd like it."

Without really waiting for Scorpius to say anything, and with only one mantra playing over and over in his head ("Now or never, now or never, now or never") he kissed him.

Scorpius' lips felt soft against his. And it was everything he hoped it would be.

And it was only when he realized he was KISSING his BEST FRIEND, he pulled away, albiet slowly.

Scorpius looked surprised enough to have been petrified.

Scorpius blinked. "Well. Maybe I did say I'd like it."

 

\--------------------------------------

  
About an hour or so later (they really weren't paying attention to the time, with all the snogging and the laughing honestly), Rose and James had burst into their little room, looking harried.

Scorpius and Albus nearly jumped out of their skin.

"YOU TWO!" she bellowed. James looked surprised at first, and then threw Albus a thumbs-up when he realized what he'd interrupted. Rose, however, didn't seemed like she gave a shit.

"DO YOU HAVE ANY IDEA HOW WORRIED I WAS?!" she yelled, fueling all the rage their grandmother, Molly, was all too famous for.

"Why were you worr--"  
"It's an hour past dinner!  _No-one_  had seen either of you after lunch! After what happened last year, do you HONESTLY think that I was just going to sit back and wait for you two to come back? You're SO lucky that James has the Map, because I would've had to tell McGonagall," she fumed.

James looked around. "You know, this place showed up as the Room of Requirement, but the last time I was here, it did _not_  look like this," he said.

  
\----------------------------------

  
A couple of months had passed, they were finally over with their O.W.Ls and life couldn't have been better for Scorpius. He was pretty sure he was failing Divination, but he knew that from the get-go, he was in love with his best friend, and the best part was that his best friend liked him back.

He could scream it from the rooftops, he was so happy.

The last week before Hogwarts shut for the summer, they were hanging with Rose near the lake.

Scorpius had his head on Albus' outstretched legs and they were talking about how they expected the summer to be.  
"My father might finally lost it completely," Scorpius announced. "Every bit of effort I've ever been putting into our relationship over the year is going to fly out the window when I tell him about us."  
He still had been exchanging letters over the summer, and when the exams were over, Mr. Malfoy had very kindly invited Albus over the summer if he liked to stay. He said that the Malfoy Manor was far too large and that it needed more people in it, but Albus wasn't sure how that was going to fly by his father.  
  
"Oh, that's tough," said Albus. "Imagine me, Scor! Rose & James are going to make my life hell, they still haven't stopped teasing me from Valentine's," he said.

Rose, who was sitting by them, scoffed. "You bet your last sickle that's exactly what we're going to do! And when you get back from your boyfriend's place, it'll only get worse," she teased.  
Albus laughed.

"So Rose..." said Albus, trying to change the topic, "When are you going to admit to liking Jay Finnigan?" he asked, one eyebrow cocked.

Rose frowned, and then, smiling, said, "Not an entire academic calendar, that's for sure."

She stared after Jay, who was charming a twig to fly around with a first year, presumably helping him with a spell.

It was only then that Scorpius realized Rose may have had more than one reason to hang out with them at the Slytherin table so much. 

"Well, take it from _me_ , liking someone can be very... taxing," said Albus.  
"Yeah, the person you like might be dating someone else--" started Scorpius.  
"--or they might just be extremely elusive to every hint--"  
"'--well, whatever it is, we can help you out!" said Scorpius, finishing.  
"Yep. We can definitely wing-man for you. Drop hints about how lovely you are," said Albus. "Like how when you set your mind to something, you'll see it through--going far enough to breaking relationships even."  
"Yeah, and exactly how un-intimidating you can be with a broomstick," added Scorpius, laughing.

Rose rolled her eyes. "If I were to take any help from you two, I'd die a spinster." She stood up, brushed grass off her robes, and walked up to Jay Finnigan.  
  
"Is she actually going to..." started Albus.  
  
Rose walked up to him, and she wasn't far off for them to not eavesdrop, so they overheard everything.

She said, "So Jay. I've seen you around recently."  
Jay, who looked a bit taken aback, said, "Err... yeah, I've seen you around too--since first year, actually. You know, because we have classes together?"  
Rose snorted, not at all deterred, "Well, yeah, duh--but I meant I've _noticed_ you a lot, recently."  
"Oh," he said.

Albus felt Scorpius visibly cringe.

Rose continued, "And I think I quite like you. So I was hoping that maybe we could hang out sometime," she said.  
She looked like she was daring him to say no.  
The first year next to him giggled.  
"Erm. Yeah, I mean, yes, sure," Jay said, looking a bit flustered.  
"Great," Rose threw him a dazzling smile and walked back to Albus and Scorpius, who had their mouths hanging open.

Looking smug, she said, "And that's how it's done."

Albus, looking down at Scorpius, said defensively, "You know,  _that_ would have not worked with you."  
Scorpius laughed, and pulled himself up to kiss Albus. " _That_ , you may be right about."

Laying back down, and looking up at the bright blue sky, Scorpius knew one thing for sure: he may not be there yet, but he knew he was slowly growing up to be the kind of man his mother _would_ be proud of.


End file.
